“Show him who’s the boss,” Jeff urged. Sure, they’d cooperate, but only if it was to make me look bad. Would it be bad if I left with three and only came back with one gremlin?
The first scrape got him a spark. All three leaned in to see if it caught. No luck. The next strike made a huge spark, and I could hear the familiar crackle. I stepped in to see the tiny flame. Pushing some brush on top, I let it spread.
“Don’t slide it into the kindling too quick. It needs room to breathe.”
I could hear them gasp and hold their breath. The brush caught fire, and I slid it under the logs and fed it some kindling. I gave Matt a pat on the shoulder and snatched the knife out of his hand before Ronnie could grab it. I’d be duct taping mittens on that boy for everybody’s safety.
“Woohoo!”
I spun about to see Lacie raising a bottle of Moxie in the air. The outline of a moose on her shirt couldn’t be any more touristy. The outline of the turkey on top of it made it undeniablyFirefly. At this rate, she’d be buying a house and baking pies for the townspeople. Speaking of…
Nick. He had a smirk on his face, and I couldn’t help but match it. I hated to admit it, but Seamus had been right. I would have given Nick all the space in the world, and where would we be right now? Though… wherewerewe? I hadn’t thought about it while we were busy rutting, but with my libido in check, I couldn’t help but wonder what I had gotten us into.
It took a moment before I realized everybody in the green had turned to watch. I couldn’t tell if they focused on the growing pillar of smoke or Lacie’s boisterous cheering. The walls surrounding Firefly pushed in, and I hoped they were more concerned about me burning down the town than who I surrounded myself with.
Not far away, Bonnie hurried down the path from the market with a brown paper bag in tow. We hadn’t spoken since I first got to town, and now she appeared like a raving lunatic barreling toward us.
“Hi.” It’s all I could manage while I tried to dissect everything at once.
“Hi,” Nick said with a slight wave. He might not be as enthusiastic as last night, but some of that glee held on.
“You two are so gross,” Lacie said. “What’s going on here?”
She brushed past me to the grill and gremlins. I couldn’t stop making eye contact with Nick. Was I staring? Too much? Not enough?
“We’re making a fire,” said Matt.
“For flaming arrows.” Ronnie would be the death of me.
“To kill bears,” Jeff added. “Bears hate fire.”
“There aren’t bears,” Matt said.
“Not bears?” Lacie said. Please, for the love of all things good, do not reference gay bears. I didn’t need them telling their parents about bear culture. “I was with the taxidermistyesterday. That’s the guy who stuffs dead animals. He’s got three full-sized bears in his garage. All of them from right near Firefly.”
“Really?” Jeff and Ronnie were already planning their bear traps.
Bonnie reached us, paper bag leading the way. “These are for you.” She held it out without saying anything, and when I didn’t take it, she shoved it against my chest. I was about to growl when I smelled marshmallows. A quick glance into the bag, I found chocolate and graham crackers.
“You can’t have a campfire without s’mores.”
“I—”
“Look. We’ve got a history.” Bonnie was going to say her part without interruption. She smacked her bubblegum between her words. “It’s not pretty. Consider this your apology for my part in it.” Never in a million years did I expect her to acknowledge what happened in high school, let alone apologize for it.
Bonnie hadn’t been the offender. Her guilt came from remaining silent. I could bare my teeth and growl while I chewed through her. I had every right to hurl obscenities and tell her that ourhistoryhad nearly crushed me.
My fists tightened until I spotted Nick’s face. Pushing past the curse plaguing him, he found his smile. The anger I felt toward Firefly had allowed me to keep them at arm’s length, not letting them step inside the boundariesIset. Was this my version of Nick’s curse? As Bonnie raised her hand, I had to decide. Would I remain walled off, or did I?—
I shook her hand. “Apology accepted.” The lingering look from her carried more weight than her words. She meant what she said. The acknowledgment… it felt… good.
“Who’s ready for s’mores?” The gremlins stepped away from the fire, the drool already forming. Bonnie snatched the bag, and Lacie was already reaching inside, pulling out the sticks. I madea single concession, and already she forced her way inside. I had a feeling I’d regret my decision.
“Good for you,” Nick whispered. The back of his hand brushed against mine.
Or maybe I wouldn’t?
“Do I look like a badass?” asked Ronnie.
